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The “might is right” philosophy

“Why do so many people attribute the phrase “survival of the fittest” to Darwin? Why do so many people believe this? Even in classes people quoted it as a Darwinian saying. Herbert Spencer coined the term…. and I believe it was just before he formulated synthetic philosophy. How are so many people so mislead? I’m just *trying* to irritate myself.” — Kitty

“People do not use MMR (Might Makes Right) as a moral guide, but rather to explain away the inherently coercive nature of the State and religious doctrines. MMR tells us absolutely nothing about how to live.Admittedly, we can generously interpret MMR as meaning something like: “you are free to hurt anyone who is weaker than you.” That would be a moral principle, albeit a bad one, and depending on the situation, a fatal one.[…]The State is an obvious example. When one questions the legitimacy of the State “laws,” the final answer must be: “you have to obey the law because otherwise you’ll get arrested.” One does not agree with the “laws” or chooses the kind of “laws” one finds most desirable. One accepts the “laws” written by the ruling class because the ruling class can kidnap you or kill you if it wants to, and suffer no consequences. It’s as simple as that.Religion also enforces two forms of MMR, although of a different kind. The first is divine obligation, “whatever God says is just and must be obeyed.” In the end, this can only be justified by the fact that God is omnipotent and can send you to eternal torture if it wants to. The second is theological obligation, “whatever my sect hierarchy says is just and must be obeyed.” This is justified both by the threat of violence and by popularity arguments, the latter being related (“a lot of people believe like I do, therefore I’m justified”).”

“[S]uch a creed is anti-evolutionary. It is the philosophy of the wolf-pack where the weak are left to die because they will slow the rest down. Humanity has moved past the point where strength is defined as the primary reason to rule. As a result, we have inventions and technology which have been created by people who would have been left for dead by societies that are more primitive.[…]

The idea that “might is right” has been discounted as anti-evolutionary by most civilisations – its last paragons were the Germans, Russians and Italians in world war two and the colonial powers before that. Just because someone is strong does not make them right, nor does it mean the weak should have been euthanized.” – Nick Farrell’s blog

“At the elite institution, those on the inside are told they are there because they are better than others. Most believe it. They see their money and their access to power as a natural extension of their talents and abilities, rather than the result of a system that favors the privileged . They are carefully socialized in chapel, on groomed playing fields, in dormitories, and within the natural, exclusive gatherings they have with the powerful and the rich. They are members of the same clubs and fraternities.”

– Hedges, C. 2009 “The Illusion of Wisdom” Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle Nation Books p.99

“McCarthy (1994) traces modern notions of masculinity back to the European and American expansionism of the mid-nineteenth century and the consequent emergence of social Darwinism, which
repopularized medieval “warrior values and myths” regarding physical courage, strength, and honor in order to justify colonial domination of “inferior” peoples. Under this version of masculinity, men measure themselves against the standard of the successful “Marketplace Man,” who wields economic and social power over others (Kimmel, 1997). Since few men can achieve this ideal, most spend their lives in relentless pursuit of masculinity, constantly fearing exposure as frauds. Indeed, Kimmel argues that fear is the overriding emotion driving men’s behaviors — fear of being dominated, of being seen as weak, of being humiliated. In one study, for example, when women and men were asked what they most feared, women reported a fear of being raped and murdered, whereas men confessed that their greatest fear was being laughed at (Noble, 1992, as cited in Kimmel, 1997, p. 235).”

People need to also stop equating the “might is right” (“might makes right”) philosophy with Darwinism and natural law. It started with that book “Might is right” aka “Survival of the fittest.” I personally suspect it was a satire, but most people take it to heart. Survivalism is meant for when resources are scarce, not for the fucking privileged upper classes to create a dog-eat-dog world in spite of being “civilized.” This same worldview that secular men tells themselves in order to be able to deal in the world/live successfully is no better than the religious telling themselves there is an afterlife to handle the fear of dying.

Nietzsche’s ubermensch is associated with it as well, though I’m not familiar with his work other than Thus Spake Zarathustra (that book is not really showing amoralism) – I’ll push myself to read more for knowledge of these harmful tactics.

The MMR philosophy is what we know as Social Darwinism. It is a perversion of Darwinism and has been used to justify racism, colonialism/imperialism, slavery and other forms of oppression and violence, rape, as well as negative eugenics (such as in Nazi Germany). See here for some informative quotes about it.